In the midst of a combative court case, the family of one victim is hoping to build something beautiful out of the tragedy.

Jonathan Pratt, 28, is charged with three counts each of impaired driving causing death, driving with a blood-alcohol content over .08, causing death and manslaughter in the deaths of Bradley Arsenault, 18, Thaddeus Lake, 22, and KoleNovak, 18.

One of the victims, Thaddeus Lake, was an aspiring musician and instrument fanatic before he died.

“Whatever instrument he could get his hands on he would play,” his mother Karen Lake recalls.

In order to honour their son’s love of music, his family has created a foundation to help aspiring musicians.

Music instructor Val Baron used to teach Thaddeus.

Now, thanks to financial aid set up by her former student’s parents, Baron is able to help out student musicians who hope to tour but lack the necessary funds.

“It's great for me to be able to go to Mom and Dad or to the kids and say you know what – we've got a solution,” she said.

“The parents are so grateful,” she added. “I've had some in tears – they're just so grateful that we can provide that for them.”